The present disclosure is directed to a method, system, and apparatus for modifying or conditioning a working surface. More particularly, it is directed to a method, apparatus, and system for uniformly supporting flexible surface modifying articles as well as enabling replacing and repositioning thereof for improving useful service life as well as improving dust and debris control management.
A variety of attachment systems have been employed to attach an abrasive article, such as an abrasive sheet or disc, to a power abrading tool, such as a sanding tool, whereby the former is driven by the latter. Abrasive sheets and discs have relatively flexible constructions and are available in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Typically, the abrasive particles are on one major surface of a sheet or disc article. These kinds of abrasive sheets are normally held in place on the abrading tool by mechanical center bolt and washer and the like that require relatively considerable user manipulations to attach and detach for each abrasive disc used.
Another known system for securing abrasive articles to a power tool includes the use of releasable types of attachment mechanisms. Releasable attachment mechanisms allow the abrasive article to be manually applied and peeled from the power tool. In practice, one component of these releasable attachment mechanisms is located on a major surface of the abrasive article that opposes the abrasive covered or work surface. The other component of the releasable attachment mechanism may be located on a back-up pad secured to the power tool.
Numerous kinds of releasable attachment mechanisms exist. One kind includes pressure sensitive adhesives. Another kind includes the use of mechanical hook and loop fastener systems. Since not all hook and loop type fasteners are necessarily compatible for attachment to the back-up pad, their versatility may be somewhat limited. For example, abrasive articles having a loop fabric with a specific configuration may not be attached to a back-up pad having a non-compatible attachment structure. Accordingly, to use a greater number of surface modifying articles, the back-up pad has to be removed. Given that in most sanding operations, a user may change the abrasive articles several times, the foregoing attachment and detachment approaches present rather time-consuming and labor intensive approaches. While these latter types are generally satisfactory they may be considered to be a somewhat more time-consuming and laborious process than otherwise desired in the workplace. Accordingly, versatility of this kind of attachment system may be somewhat limited.
Attempts to increase versatility of attachment systems using flexible abrasive disks including hook and loop fasteners thereon have included providing reversible back-up pads. The reversible back-up pads use two different types of attachment surfaces; one on each of the opposing major surfaces so as to increase versatility with a wider number of abrasive articles. While versatility increases nevertheless, even these approaches require the back-up pads to be manually attached and detached from a power tool in order to enhance versatility of the usable surfaces.
Conversion pads are another type of attachment mechanism useful for providing additional versatility because they increase the number or kinds of abrasive discs that can be quickly assembled to the back-up pad without requiring the latter to be removed from the power tool. One known conversion pad includes two opposing major surfaces, each with a different kind of attachment mechanism. One may be engageable with the back-up pad, and the other may releasably engage with hook and loop fasteners of an abrasive article. Another known type of conversion pad has a non-woven and flexible construction. One major surface thereof may directly engage back-up pads having different coupling configurations, and the other directly engages any one of a variety of hook and loop configurations on the flexible abrasive articles.
While several of the foregoing surface modifying articles provide versatility and operate satisfactorily, nevertheless, none provides methods, apparatus, or systems for providing versatility and yet overcomes the formation of surface irregularities or blemishes, such as when abraded surfaces have areas of different hardness. For example, when sanding wood surfaces, the abrasive articles mounted on back-up pads or flexible conversion pads, such as of the non-woven kind may result in a dishing effect being created between the softwood (spring wood) grains and the hardwood (summer wood) grains. Dishing is generally considered a sculpting out of the softwood grain, relative to the hardwood grain, by the sander during sanding. It is essentially caused by the disparity of hardness between the softwood relative to the hardwood, thereby resulting in the sander causing an uneven or pitted surface when the abrading disc abrades into the softwood and grabs the same. Dishing is generally considered an undesirable blemish in the surface appearance of wood following sanding.
Furthermore, replacement and repositioning of such abrasive articles from the above types of abrasive article attaching systems may be tedious and at times be relatively difficult to perform. For example, when an operator attempts to peel the flexible abrasive discs from flexible conversion pads, the mating abrasive surfaces mesh more aggressively with each other into a tighter engagement. As a result, detaching the abrasive articles may be made more difficult. Accordingly, aggressive meshing makes replacement and repositioning of the abrasive articles relatively more difficult to achieve.
Moreover, there is a continuing desire to enhance the useful service life of abrasive discs as well as minimize the deleterious effects of powdery particles and other similar debris formed during surface modifying operations since such powdery particles and debris may build-up on the work surface of the disk and limit the abrading effectiveness of the abrasive particles.